$8.99 for 3 tablets!? Has anyone come up with a better alternative for this stuff? It seems to me that Oxi-Clean would probably do the same thing. Or maybe use Oxi-Clean and Bleach? I've decided to run the "Clean Washer with Affresh" cycle every 2 weeks to just prevent any mold, mildew, or odor issues. I'm just trying to use a cheaper method. Thanks guys...

Citric acid products (like Lemishine) work and would probably be cheaper. I've also had good luck using a phosphate-containing dishwasher tablet every couple of weeks on an extra-hot empty cycle to clean out any leftover gunk.

That, plus stopping the use of fabric softener (using a full dispenser of white vinegar instead) and leaving the door wide-open has eliminated my problems with limescale buildup and mold/musty smells.

just make sure u leave the door open at ALL times when not in use, every week when all your laundry is done, run a rinse and spin cycle, about once a month run about a cup of bleach in a hot temp setting through a regular cycle, i did that with my LG and two years later still smelled brand new inside, granted i was fortunate enough to have mine in the basement where i had enough room to leave the door ajar. when i moved and sold the machine they could not beleive how clean the machine was.

I have used Affresh, and the Tide Washer cleaner. I liked the Affresh better. I leave the door open, and don't have an odor problem, but I run a clean washer cycle after washing the dog's rugs so my next load doesn't smell like Eskie.

Whirlpool says you can run the cycle with a cup of LCB, but I, the Bleach-o-holic, am not using bleach in my Maytag FL as the manual does state that it will eventually cause product failure (read aluminum spider issues).

My washer and dryer are also in the basement. Its pretty dry down there right now...but I know when summer comes along...it will be very damp. Maybe I should invest into a dehumidifier. I'm just trying to avoid the issue before it begins. I'm not having any mold/mildew/odor problems at all right now. When I'm done with wash for the day...I wipe out the gasket and leave the door wide open. I have read about LCB causing issues with accelerated corrosion of the spider, so I'm leery of using it at all in the machine.

Dear brit boys, we can not do a boil wash! :-) No facilities exist with our machines nor do we have the ability to push required (high) wattage through our wires via 110v. to be able to DO a boil-wash!

....The "Queen of Clean" recommends Tang in her books for several cleaning tasks that would normally require citric or phosphoric acid cleaners. I initially thought she'd inhaled a few too many homemade cleaners, but it's great for cleaning out stuff like dishwashers, toilets with water rings, etc.

I think it is funny that we buy these expensive machines. Then we are expected to buy these expensive cleaners to clean our expensive cleaners. Then, when our expensive machines fail, we find that they are too expensive to repair and we instead go out and buy more expensive machines. What a downward spiral we are on....

Using TANG to clean a washer or dishwasher is a terrible waste of sugar just to get citric acid. Fruit Fresh, used to keep apples, peaches and other low acid fruits from browning when exposed to air during various preservation methods is a much better source of citric acid. Unless you have very hard water, LCB and STPP are cheaper and more effective than A**fresh or Affresh or Affront or whatever it's called. If people made sure that whites were washed in hot water, used GOOD powder detergent formulas for at least some of the loads and did not gook up the machine with too much fabric softener, they would not need these products/treatments anyway.

As stated several times here their should be no reason to do any type of to the inside of a washer or dishwasher. If you are getting a build up or residue of any kind inside the machine the clothes- dishes are not going to be clean, as with the afore mentioned example with washing the dogs blankets if the machine smells like the dog the blankets need additional washing. All hi effency washers should be used with HOT water washes only. Check your wash water temp in the machine after it has finished filling or check the wash water temp as the machine drains at the drain hose you need a minimum of 100F to even begin to do a good job cleaning. Try this test and post your results.

Me when i have to clean my dishwasher i use jet dry dishwasher cleaner and for the washer i set it on a full cycle and only use water to clean my duet Washer here is a picture of the last time i clean my duet washer

My 1987 WP DW with plastic door and my 1982 KA KDSS20 which has several white plastic parts shows no discoloration at all. I do use chlorinated detergents about half the time. I repair DWs for a living and the majority of the machines we work on have plastic tubs I seldom see one with any discoloration in fact the plastic DWs usually look better than the SS tubs.

Actually, the joke is on the American public. From the first ads for automatic washers, it was always stressed that the machine cleaned itself and shut off. You youngsters don't know what went into properly cleaning out a wringer washer after a wash day and if you had a Maytag with the aluminum tub, it had to be done thoroughly including wiping the tub completely dry to prevent corrosion which lead to rough places in the tub which would damage clothes. So having to clean washers is bull crap if they are used correctly. It seems totally f**ked up that the machines which use so little water to wash & rinse clothes, fill liberally with hot water to levels unseen for washing clothes just to clean out the the sugar honey iced tea left behind in machines which get energy star ratings for using the least amount of water to wash clothes. And don't think that inadequate rinsing in water cold enough to be served from water fountains does not play a role in this.

". . . if the machine smells like the dog the blankets need additional washing."

I must respectfully disagree with both posters. After washing the dog's rugs in a top loader, I also cleaned out the machine before using it for people clothes. I also clean the bath tub after giving the dog a bath, and often after taking one myself. It just helps removed those wild hairs and fishy odors.

Now at least once a month or right after i washe a pet bed in my duet washer i clean it so that if pet hair is still in the drum it removes it and it also prevents the washer from breaking my 1993 inglis superb 2 toploading washer broke because of pet hair so now everytime i washe a pet bed while the pet bed is drying i set the washer on whitest white but some tide cleaner in the detergent dispenser and start the washer so that while it cleans to let the remaining pet hair be totaly remove

From what one read about the product, "Affresh" is mainly sodium percarbonate (oxygen bleach), which in theory should deal with mould, slime and odors, will do nothing to break up the gunk and build up inside a washing machine.

For that one needs a dedicated washing machine cleaner such as "Washing Machine Magic" or the descaling/cleaner Miele sells for front loaders. The later is common enough in Europe, but hard to find on these shores.

In either event, both of the above mentioned products contains acids, surfactants and perhaps a disinfectant. Their purpose is to remove and disslove hard water deposits, soap/detergent residue, mildew, moulds, etc that are on heating elements and between the washer drums.

Depending upon the washer, one could simply bung in several quarts of white vinegar and baking soda (the chemical reaction causes foaming, which helps loosen the gunk), or simply white vinegar.

Agree with another poster that using "Tang" to clean a dishwasher or washing machine is a pretty expensive way to get the chemical one is after "citric acid", and adds lots of sugar which does nothing. Citric acid is found in most Kosher food stores/sections labled "sour salt".

Hard water deposits are one thing. Mold and sludge in a machine are entirely different and should not be there if proper washing methods are followed. New owners of front loaders in this country are going through a period of adjustment, complicated by the fact that many don't bother to read the information that comes with the machines and others are too stupid to understand what they read or are told. They need a rock on a creek bank. Many were in the habit of closing the lid on their top loaders after unloading the laundry. In most cases, there was enough air circulation to carry away the extra moisture that would support microbial growth. So these people close and latch the door of their front loader after use and nothing dries out. People using cold water and liquid detergents in a top loader had a longer grace period before they had to pay the fiddler for their poor laundry techniques. In the 80s and 90s, we used to pull in GE machines with close to a one inch thick buildup of blue-green goo in the bottom of the outer tub as a result of cold water washing and liquid detergents. With a front loader, you don't have the grace period before you notice your personal botanical garden right there in the washer.

One advantage to the highly perfumed liquid detergents is that when used in frigid water, even if little soil is removed, the fragrance is implanted in the fabric and little of it is removed by rinsing in frigid rinse water so regardless of how much soil remains, the fabrics do not smell dirty; only your washer will. The exception to this is polyester table napkins. Back in the 80s, we used to go to a Chinese restaurant with beautiful pink napkins. Suddenly, you could not put the napkins anywhere near your nose because they were washed in cold water and reeked of rancid fats. That is why we stopped going there. It's a wonder the oil buildup in the napkins did not start a fire in the dryer.